Spell Storing Item Infusion

[Yorae]

This infusion (ECS, pg. 115) is 1st level - you get it at Artificer 1. It says that, to successfully store the spell in the item, you must make a UMD check of DC 20 + (spell level X 3). For a first level spell, that is (obviously) a DC 23 UMD check. It also mentions that you may suffer a mishap and damage yourself instead.

My question is: can you attempt the check multiple times, or if you fail it once have you wasted your infusion? That seems a bit silly, since this is your only source of spellcasting ability at the beginning of the game (AND you spent XP on it...), but I wasn't really sure.


Failing that, is there a way to make those checks at lower levels? Artificers can't take 10 on UMD until level 13, so no help there....

Edit: If the above is a wash and the infusion is only useful once you're out of your lower levels, what all does an artificer do before they have access to spells? I realize the class is powerful, especially at higher levels, but what do they do at lower levels? (I suppose they have Personal Weapon Augmentation to play around with at low levels, which could be neat.)

[Madcrafter]

From the rules on UMD, it would seem that the infusion is wasted with no effect (unless of course there is a mishap). Though you may be able to get your DM to change that, if you explain it to them. That infusion is more for extraordinary situations, when you don't have the scroll that is called for (and you should most of the time).
As for your UMD check, at first level you should have between +7 to +10 already, so you would be able to make the check a quarter to a little less than half the time.

For low level combat you generally use your crossbow, maybe a scroll if the situation warrants. Fighting orcs? You now have an orc bane crossbow. Fighting mephits? You now have an outsider bane crossbow. Fighting a centipede? You can just use your regular crossbow. That's for levels one to around six.

[jiriku]

The artificer's strength (especially at low levels) isn't really the ability to do one particular thing on demand. Rather, it's the ability to do any particular thing if given the time to scribe a scroll. Try to spend a lot fo time thinking about where the party is likely to go, what it's likely to do, and what capabilities it lacks to get itself there. Then, use your downtime to scribe scrolls that can fill in those capabilities.

Apart from scrolls, you're chiefly using resistance item, shield of faith and magic vestment as defensive buffs, using identify and skill enhancement for utility, and using lesser armor enhancement and personal weapon augmentation for combat-related powers. For example, lesser armor augmentations can get you blur 3/day, displacement 1/day, light fortification, an area blinding effect 2/day, or an all-day form of feather fall. Those are all quite good. Personal weapon augmentation is obviously good for bane, but it's also good for dimensional anchor 2/day, a 10-ft teleport 3/day, dispel magic 3/day, the ability to ignore miss chances, faerie fire on hit, or +5 initiative. The 1-minute casting time makes them awkward to use, but most of those effects are MUCH more powerful than what's available to a wizard or cleric at 1st-2nd level.

[Aharon]

@Jiriku
The one minute casting time isn't a problem if you decide when the encounter happens (i.e., the skill monkey has scouted, and you make an ambush). You can activate the abilities with a standard action whenever you want.